Mix Jet Set Radio’s grinding and movement, Crackdown’s jumping and verticality, a grungy apocalyptic Saints Row with self-aware story elements, and you get Sunset Overdrive. I originally played this game on my Xbox One in 2015, but stopped playing it due to a number of reasons. Now, I have finished the PC Game Pass version.
I can’t comment much on Sunset Overdrive’s story. It begins with a cutscene showing your created character working as a janitor at a pre-release concert party for Fizzco’s new energy drink “Overcharge.” Things get out of hand when everyone who consumes this new drink gets turned into mutants, causing mayhem and a near apocalypse in the city. Plot doesn’t seem consistent and feels disjointed throughout the game, though the dialogue is slightly enjoyable with self-aware humor that knows it is a video game.
Structure is quite different. Although it has the formula of an open world, third-person shooter, some gameplay elements are different. No driveable vehicles, pedestrians, cops or wanted levels exist. You’ll spend your time zip-lining, air-dashing, grinding, wall-running, bouncing atop buildings, vehicles and structures to traverse through Sunset City. No cover system means heavy emphasis is placed on always moving. Collectibles are scattered throughout the map, which feel fun to collect and never a chore due to the fluid, fun traversal system. Money earned in game can be used to purchase character customization items from shops, while overcharge energy drinks are used to purchase collectible maps (revealing collectibles in certain regions), amps that are perks slotted into weapons, overdrives which are abilities that give you buffs and bonuses in combat. Instead of typical weapons, you'll gain access to several different weapons that shoot acid, freeze enemies, burn foes, stun enemies, and shield you among various other ones.
Character customization is more than very serviceable. Creating a male or female character (who is referred to as just “Player:” in cutscenes) gives no advanced options for face morphing outside of selecting different facial structure parts, preset faces, eye color, and hair. Clothing selection also isn't as robust as say Saints Row 3 or 4, but feels more along the lines of the Tony Hawk Underground games. Considering the zany theme of the game, lots of wacky clothing items exist to make an interesting character.
While the main missions are fun, these mostly consist of going to an area, killing a group of enemies, going to another area, defending against a wave of enemies, escorting someone or an item, and repeating the cycle. Side missions consist of the same structure. Thankfully, the engaging movement system does make the missions more enjoyable even if they can suffer from repetition at times. Challenges do exist in the form of different activities like dashing through rings, killing enemies in different ways, delivering bombs within a time limit, and collecting points or destroying as many items as possible in an allotted time. A few main missions in particular were very luck based, like the Pigeon burning mission which requires you to burn a high number of barely spawning pigeons in a short time limit. Annoying missions like these did not pop up frequently, but the few that came up in an already repetitive mission structure made me want some variety.
Sunset Overdrive is also a short game, clocking in around 10 hours and 15 minutes (according to my in-game play time after the credits rolled.) Your game time may vary depending on your completionist and side mission focus. I could have seen this being a negative during the time when the Xbox One didn't have many exclusives and longer games were on the rise. On the other hand, playing this game in 2022 when almost every game under the sun is a lengthy experience was a welcome change of pace.
Sunset Overdrive is definitely a game that not only deserves to be played, but is highly in need of a sequel!
I can’t comment much on Sunset Overdrive’s story. It begins with a cutscene showing your created character working as a janitor at a pre-release concert party for Fizzco’s new energy drink “Overcharge.” Things get out of hand when everyone who consumes this new drink gets turned into mutants, causing mayhem and a near apocalypse in the city. Plot doesn’t seem consistent and feels disjointed throughout the game, though the dialogue is slightly enjoyable with self-aware humor that knows it is a video game.
Structure is quite different. Although it has the formula of an open world, third-person shooter, some gameplay elements are different. No driveable vehicles, pedestrians, cops or wanted levels exist. You’ll spend your time zip-lining, air-dashing, grinding, wall-running, bouncing atop buildings, vehicles and structures to traverse through Sunset City. No cover system means heavy emphasis is placed on always moving. Collectibles are scattered throughout the map, which feel fun to collect and never a chore due to the fluid, fun traversal system. Money earned in game can be used to purchase character customization items from shops, while overcharge energy drinks are used to purchase collectible maps (revealing collectibles in certain regions), amps that are perks slotted into weapons, overdrives which are abilities that give you buffs and bonuses in combat. Instead of typical weapons, you'll gain access to several different weapons that shoot acid, freeze enemies, burn foes, stun enemies, and shield you among various other ones.
Character customization is more than very serviceable. Creating a male or female character (who is referred to as just “Player:” in cutscenes) gives no advanced options for face morphing outside of selecting different facial structure parts, preset faces, eye color, and hair. Clothing selection also isn't as robust as say Saints Row 3 or 4, but feels more along the lines of the Tony Hawk Underground games. Considering the zany theme of the game, lots of wacky clothing items exist to make an interesting character.
While the main missions are fun, these mostly consist of going to an area, killing a group of enemies, going to another area, defending against a wave of enemies, escorting someone or an item, and repeating the cycle. Side missions consist of the same structure. Thankfully, the engaging movement system does make the missions more enjoyable even if they can suffer from repetition at times. Challenges do exist in the form of different activities like dashing through rings, killing enemies in different ways, delivering bombs within a time limit, and collecting points or destroying as many items as possible in an allotted time. A few main missions in particular were very luck based, like the Pigeon burning mission which requires you to burn a high number of barely spawning pigeons in a short time limit. Annoying missions like these did not pop up frequently, but the few that came up in an already repetitive mission structure made me want some variety.
Sunset Overdrive is also a short game, clocking in around 10 hours and 15 minutes (according to my in-game play time after the credits rolled.) Your game time may vary depending on your completionist and side mission focus. I could have seen this being a negative during the time when the Xbox One didn't have many exclusives and longer games were on the rise. On the other hand, playing this game in 2022 when almost every game under the sun is a lengthy experience was a welcome change of pace.
Sunset Overdrive is definitely a game that not only deserves to be played, but is highly in need of a sequel!
jacksh0w
1 year ago